Tamiya 1966 VW Beetle

Going to build this as standard, just with the extra wiring and plumbing.
Got the colour sorted as close as i could to bahama blue (maybe a little light but i'm not getting anal over it)


This is where i'm at so far, been on it for a day or two.

Great start.  

It's looking good Colin.   

That's gonna be so cool !!

Thanks guys, enjoying this one

the photos showed a few areas that needed tidying up and addressing so i've attacked those points.
Am now at this stage, added some wiring and plumbing and am just waiting for the newly cemented areas to cure fully before i start pulling and bending HT's etc into shape.

It never was an exciting machine, but certainly in its way as important as the Model T. Thanx for the details of the kit and how to improve it!

...that's a non-beetle owner, I believe ??
Agreed, the bog standard car wasn't that exciting, but modified, it can bring miles of smiles !

...model coming along nicely Colin.

even standard they give a certain "nice feeling" when driving, i've only borrowed one for a medium length journey but it was a pleasure.

the body shell, bonnet and boot are being polished up slightly at the mo.... here's where the rest of it sits. ( managed the wiring and even got a petrol pipe in there with a little inline filter which i'm quite pleased with, hopefully it's all in the right (ish) place, i followed some t'intergoogle pictures)




on the pictures i've seen there's no props to hold the bonnet and boot up, i take it as standard they had some sort of "spring / counterbalance" system??

Post '70 cars had springs in the hinges, - my earlier '63 had a spring clip that fitted to the top of the hinges
that had to be manually fitted each time you opened the engine cover (as below).
But I found it easier to have removable pins and take off the lid altogether.

Cheers Ron...... What about the bonnet, was that the same sort of system on a 1966?

Springs attached to the bonnet hinges that counterbalanced, Colin.

...but you can only do so much, with a model.

Thank you very much for the info Ron, appreciated!

Da Bug is lookin' good. Nice detail work.

Colin, my bug is 1959. Here are the photos of the hinges:
 

This is the rear deck lid. The spring is chromed and in the center, just above the fan housing.
 

This is the front. On the early bugs, there was no spring, just this over-center strut on the left side. The big issue with this style is that if you forget to unlatch it, and pull down on the hood, you tend to bend up the hood. They got rid of this, and went to the counter-balance springs that Ron is talking about.

thanks for the extra info Pete, much appreciated.

I like the extra "brace" that Rons' beetle had and i'll go with a little strut on the left as in yours Pete.
i suppose they were in practice at the same time on one bug or another.
i suppose it wouldn't hurt to see if i can fit a little spring in the rear as well?

It's looking terrific Colin.... nice one.

but modified, it can bring miles of smiles ! wrote:

Better still, drop in a big lump porsche engine!!! Zoweeeee!!!!

You're right Pete - engine cover lid springs went further back than I thought.
- my '63 had the spring bracket too.
Trouble is, first thing modifiers do is to get rid of the darn spring,
to whip off the lid and fiddle with the motor without banging their heads on the tin,
so few were left original.



Porsche lump...not that easy Al....6 into a 4 pot engine bay don't go !

dadooronron wrote:Porsche lump...not that easy Al....6 into a 4 pot engine bay don't go !

....not without the right kind of shoehorn....lol

OK.... how about a EJ20R engine swap then. Maybe from a Impreza Sti?

300bhp + ought to be enough!!!

Al, I have seen the Subie boxer engine in buggies before, but never a sedan. Must be a real shoehorn fit, as Paul says.

My modified VW engine (1776 cc, counterweighted crank, big valve heads, high performance cam, Dual 44 IDF webers) does just fine. As was said before .... Miles of Smiles!!

I've seen Corvair engines in a sedan before, but the rear apron and hood have to be changed !!!

Okay...this seems to be escalating...and I think I beat you all.
How about a 668cu M2 radial Tank engine....I win !

I hope you lot aren't expecting me to start scratch building any of these engineering feats on me little bug!

The poor VW bug gets abused so much. Ron, you do WIN with the radial engine! Good one.

Sorry Colin
- the bug debate took over your thread - but it can give us all a source of amusement,
I hope !